In the early 1970s, Formula One mogul Bernie Ecclestone was the first to see the potential of the sport in terms of TV audiences. Commercial sponsorship had become the key to success for the teams. What better way of generating more sponsorship than by securing commercial TV deals that would beam images of the sponsors’ liveries all over the world? The result was a nearly perfect symbiotic relationship: The TV coverage increased the sport’s popularity, which in turn made advertisers willing to pay the stations better rates to have their adverts placed within the Formula One screening. As TV stations profited by selling TV time to advertisers, the price Formula One charged the TV companies escalated.
TV stations were often first attracted to covering the sport when one of their home heroes was doing well. In this way, Emerson Fittipaldi paved the way for Brazilian TV, James Hunt for British TV, and Alan Jones for Australian TV. Once exposed to the excitement of Formula One, those audiences still wanted to watch Formula One, even after their local heroes had retired or fallen from prominence.
TV stations were often first attracted to covering the sport when one of their home heroes was doing well. In this way, Emerson Fittipaldi paved the way for Brazilian TV, James Hunt for British TV, and Alan Jones for Australian TV. Once exposed to the excitement of Formula One, those audiences still wanted to watch Formula One, even after their local heroes had retired or fallen from prominence.
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